Chapter Forty-Three: The Calamity of the Hunt

Inside the mountain cave.

Yang Fan activated the “Concealing Breath” technique, withdrawing his presence entirely. Hidden in the darkness, he watched the scene outside while simultaneously unleashing his “Earth Sense.”

There were two men. One was tall and slender, gripping a horizontal blade, breathing heavily, with bloodstains scattered across his body. The other was burly, wielding a broad-backed saber, and fared little better. Both men radiated a powerful life force—far stronger than Xiang Yangkai.

“Fifth rank!” Yang Fan made his judgment, growing even more cautious. Such formidable opponents were far beyond what he could handle at present.

Thunderous booms resounded as the two paused only briefly before resuming their fierce duel. Each step shattered the rocky ground, and every swing of their blades split stone. The entire valley trembled. These men were terrifyingly strong—their blades carved deep furrows into the cliffs, and countless stone pillars shattered under their assault.

At last, after a final, violent clash that sparked a chain of fire between their blades, the two drew back, each dropping to one knee as blood flowed freely from their wounds. Their breathing was ragged, their auras flickering and unstable.

Forcing themselves upright, they faced off once more.

“Cao Kaijin, you cannot kill me.” The young man coughed twice, spat out blood, and spoke. “Once, you were filled with passion, smiting tyrants and bandits, sweeping aside the filth and darkness. Why now do you lend your strength to evil?”

“Righteousness?” Cao Kaijin, the burly man, burst into laughter as though hearing the world’s greatest joke. The laughter shifted into coughing, blood staining his lips. “When I was young, I too was full of zeal. I knew corruption was rampant, yet I held onto hope. I believed that if I worked harder, and others did the same, we could sweep away the darkness. But—”

His gaze shifted, pupils narrowing as he seemed to glance, almost inadvertently, at the cave. His voice thundered with bitter grief. “I was betrayed by those who once shared my ideals, betrayed by kin, betrayed by those hailed as paragons of virtue.

“When I looked around me, I saw nothing but cold indifference—or endless malice.

“When I raised my head, the sky was dark, just as it is now.

“I was told there are high officials secretly worshipping demons, noble scions raising monsters that feed on human flesh, whole towns of tens of thousands sacrificed to refine blood pills.

“From then on, I lost all hope.

“Why must I suffer so?

“Why can I not rise above others?

“Why should I not feast and revel every night?

“If the sky is black, why should I pretend it is white?

“They hold the world in their hands and squander it; why, as a wretch, must I cherish it?

“Ha...

“We pass through this world but once—why debase ourselves?

“So now, I eat well, drink well, enjoy myself to the fullest.

“With power in my hands, I decide life and death. I now live a life I once never dared to dream of.

“This joy is something a commoner like you could never comprehend.”

Cao Kaijin’s voice began as an anguished roar but ended in a calm, detached tone.

Inside the cave, Yang Fan’s breath caught.

He followed the path of Cao Kaijin’s gaze moments ago and spotted a pile of fruit pits crawling with ants, freshly discarded. Nearby, the cave entrance yawned.

“He suspects someone’s hiding in the cave—trouble!” Yang Fan’s brow furrowed. Cao Kaijin was clearly a shrewd and calculating man. If not for his “Earth Sense,” things could have gone disastrously wrong.

He held his position, straining to listen, hoping to glean more information.

Yang Fan realized that Cao Kaijin was deliberately stalling for time.

At this moment, the young man’s voice sounded again. “You experienced despair and thus denied all goodness in the world. You witnessed darkness and now believe the entire realm is black. Darkness may be thick, but daylight always returns. If the world truly were ruled by darkness, would order still exist? Why do evil cults scheme in shadows? Why do monsters not rampage openly? Because countless good people still guard this land, working tirelessly. You see the darkness and no longer believe in light. If everyone did as you, there would indeed be no light. You simply lack resolve and a spirit of sacrifice. Worse, you have thrown yourself into the filth, consorting with the corrupt, becoming less than the most timid commoner.”

“How naïve!” Cao Kaijin sneered. “Why do I waste words on you? For someone so young to reach the fifth rank is rare. Judging by your martial arts, weaponry, attire, and methods, you must be a Celestial Inspector. There’s no one this strong in the county seat. In the prefectural city? I know everyone there. So, you’re almost certainly from the provincial capital!

“But that makes no sense. If the provincial authorities knew what was happening here, they wouldn’t have sent a youngster like you to investigate.

“What is your true purpose?”

Cao Kaijin’s deductions were swift and cold.

“Impressive—truly a loyal hound of the Lord of Tianhe.” The young man straightened his back. “You’re right, I am a Celestial Inspector from the provincial capital. As for my purpose, can you not guess?”

“For those wretches?” Cao Kaijin’s gaze grew icy.

“Wretches?” The young man grew agitated. “Do you realize that every hunter has a family, that they are their family’s pillar? If something happens to them, what of those left behind? You seize hunters to slave in your mines, beating and cursing, squeezing them dry, treating lives as worthless! I’ve found two mass graves—two thousand families destroyed by you! Cao Kaijin, you deserve death, and so does the Lord of Tianhe!”

Within the cave, Yang Fan’s breath quickened.

Hunters captured? Two mass graves?

He thought of his own father, and Da Hu’s father—both hunters, both lost forever after entering the mountains a year ago, their disappearance presumed to be death in the wild. But hearing this conversation, there was a far darker truth.

Yang Fan licked his dry lips, seized by a sudden urge to burst out and demand answers. A fierce, murderous rage flared in the depths of his heart, but he forced himself to suppress it.

“So, you discovered the truth through the hunters’ disappearance.” Cao Kaijin laughed. “As long as this isn’t an official operation by the Celestial Watchtower, all is well. Hunters are fine tools—strong, resilient, perfect for mining. If some vanish into the mountains, people assume they fell to beasts. No cause for concern.

“I’ve said enough to recover; time to send you on your way!” Cao Kaijin rolled his shoulders and advanced.

“Knowing my identity, do you truly dare kill me?” The young man’s eyes narrowed.

“This is a desolate mountain, far from prying eyes. Not just you—even your commander, I’d dare to kill!” Cao Kaijin sprang forward, blade flashing.

This time, his assault was even more ferocious, seeking to end the fight at once.

“You think you can kill me?” The young man countered, launching his own attack.

Once again, the two clashed—with deadly force.

Inside the cave, Yang Fan crept up to the entrance, finally grasping the situation. The young man was a Celestial Inspector, investigating the vanished hunters and now hunted himself.

Yang Fan made his judgment: Cao Kaijin must die, else he himself would be in grave danger.

Hidden in shadow, he watched the duel. Both combatants were battered and bloodied, but the young man’s wounds were worse. In moments, he was clearly losing.

The battle drifted ever closer to Yang Fan’s position. As the young man teetered on the brink of defeat, Yang Fan’s eyes narrowed. “Now’s the time!”

“Earth Surge!”

Cao Kaijin stepped forward to deliver a devastating blow, but suddenly stumbled, losing his balance. The young man’s eyes lit with hope. Summoning his remaining strength, he seized the opportunity—his blade slashed upward from Cao Kaijin’s lower abdomen to his throat.

If not for a desperate backward lurch, Cao Kaijin would have been cleaved in two. Still, he was grievously wounded—blood spurted forth, intestines spilling out.

Cao Kaijin, ever ruthless, twisted his body and kicked the young man away. He staggered, propping himself up with his saber in one hand while clutching his wounded belly. His entrails dangled, and his aura plummeted, face ashen as death.

“Now!”

Yang Fan launched himself forward, speed erupting like a panther from the shadows.

“Intimidation!”

He unleashed another divine power. Cao Kaijin’s body convulsed, old wounds splitting open anew until he seemed a man made of blood. The mighty fighter sensed the ambush, but fear and shock, compounded by his injuries, left him powerless to dodge—he nearly fainted on the spot.

Despair filled Cao Kaijin’s eyes.

“Sever!”

With a roar, Yang Fan brought down the Dragon Scale Blade, slicing through Cao Kaijin’s neck.